Australian rules great Robbie Slater and football journalist Marco Monteverde discuss another big week of talking points from the A-League in their weekly On Attack column.
Lederer madness
millimeter: There was no excuse for Wanderers boss Paul Lederer's behavior last Sunday. His verbal attacks on the officials on the pitch were unprovoked and he had a terrible appearance for the match. I'm glad Football Australia came out and said something this week because the way Wanderers have been treating themselves for a couple of weeks has been ridiculous. Their coach Marco Rudan should not question the integrity of the referees.
RS: I agree it wasn't a good look from Lederer but I certainly understand his frustrations. He's a human being and he's invested a lot of money in the game, a lot of money in the Wanderers, including building a training center he didn't have to build. I feel like Lederer, who was watching the match from the stands, felt that everything Rudin said the previous week was true.
millimeter: I was still stunned by Lederer's outburst. It seemed out of character for him.
RS: He's not that kind of guy. He has no history of doing that, and it makes you realize how strongly he feels about things while watching the game. To be fair, I didn't think the referee had a good game.
millimeter: I think the referee made the right decision to award Newcastle a penalty, but I don't think Tate Russell should have been booked for the foul and then sent off because it was his second yellow card.
RS: definitely. The penalty was sufficient punishment. It was never a yellow card because it was an accident. There was no intention to disturb the player. He stepped very close to him and stepped on his heel. By sending off Russell, the referee surprisingly spoiled the match. As for the other red card that Wanderers received late in the game, there is no doubt that the referee made the right decision.
millimeter: Maybe it's just more consistency needed when making decisions.
RS: Yes, this includes the goal line decisions we've seen in the past two weeks. With no camera angles and no goal-line technology, it was impossible to confirm whether Macarthur's Valery Germain's shot and Melbourne Victory's Bruno Fornaroli's penalty crossed the goal line. However, Germain and Fornaroli got a goal. Goals should not be awarded. Once again we have a contradiction.
millimeter: Again, this is due to the millions of dollars wasted by APL. This money could have been spent implementing goal-line monitoring technology or putting more cameras on the ground.
RS: Lack of funds leads to arguments between referees, and we don't want that every week.
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The city seeks redemption
millimeter: No, you can bet Melbourne City don't want a repeat of their embarrassing performance against Brisbane Roar last week when they take on Victory in Saturday night's derby at AAMI Park.
RS: Their recent form has not been good and they are outside the top six, and it will be a bigger and more intense derby than usual considering both teams are coming off losses.
millimeter: It's also a battle of strikers between City's Jamie McClaren and Al Nasr's Bruno Fornaroli. McLaren has not scored in his past six A-League matches. The last time he went this long without scoring in the A-League was in 2015, so it's fair to say he deserves it.
RS: The derby provides McLaren with a great stage to bounce back. I can't say he's had a lot of criticism, but as I said, he rarely goes that long without scoring.
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Wood problems
millimeter: Speaking of strikers, it's been a tough week for Sydney FC player Pat Wood. He has faced a lot of criticism online from brave internet trolls for the missed chance last Saturday against the Mariners, and was ruled out for 12 weeks with stress fractures in both ankles.
RS: This is a great shame for him. He's a talented young player, and we hope he doesn't dwell on this mistake for too long. Don't forget things like this but you have to get over it. He's not the first and won't be the last player to miss a babysitter. What he needs to focus on now is his recovery and hopefully he can play a part for Sydney in the finals.
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Regional giants
millimeter: Thank you to Macarthur and the Mariners for flying the A-League flag high in Asia by qualifying for the AFC Cup Zonal Final.
RS: They are both teams in good form, so hopefully it will be a good match between them at Campbelltown next Thursday.
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Glorious days
millimeter: Congratulations must also be given to Perth Glory, as they have apparently found a new owner in Ross Pellegra, who also owns Italian club Catania. They have already started to turn things around on the pitch, and hopefully Pellegra will provide them with some much-needed stability off the pitch.
RS: This is some much-needed good news, not only for Glory, but for the APL as well.
